Creating custom t-shirts that stand out is an ongoing battle. Designers are often trying to come up with the craziest, most unique designs they can think of in hopes that it’ll catch on and become something popular. But what if we told you that the secret to standing out can be outside of the design of the t-shirt?
are several unique t-shirt add-ons you can use to make your brand’s t-shirts feel more polished, unique, and stand out in a sea of other brands. One of them being custom hang tags.
Read on to get the rundown on what hang tags are, different hang tag styles, and different design and marketing tips to make sure you use your hang tags effectively.
What Are Hang Tags?
Hang tags are the branded tags that hang from your t-shirts. They’re a cool way to add an extra touch point for your brand and add a clever message that will make your customers remember you.
Hang tags can accomplish a lot of things. They’re typically used by brands that are selling their shirts and hoping to make their product feel more polished and retail ready. If you’re clever with your tags, you have a great shot at making your brand more memorable, so take this extra opportunity to engage with your customers in a meaningful way.
Hang Tag Style Options
There are loads of different shapes of the hang tags for clothes. Options are unlimited here –– but most brands will stick to squares, rectangles, or circles.
For some free hang tag templates to use when you start designing, head here.
There’s more to think about than just the shape of the tag, though. How you decide to attach the tag to the shirt can vary, too.
Plastic vs. Safety Pin
Clear plastic hang tag attachments are pretty standard for most t-shirts. They’re inexpensive, and they’re easy to attach. No matter what, a custom label is going to look sharp, so there’s really no way to go wrong here.
Your other option is pinning your hang tag with string and a safety pin. It does require a little bit more work in terms of pinning the thread to the shirt, and it’s a bit pricier, but it also allows for a bit more variety.
You’re also not limited color-wise because you can use whatever color safety pin and string you‘d like. So if you really want to be intentional about every single piece that’s associated with your t-shirt, this is a good route to go.
Hang Tag Placement
The other style question to consider when thinking through hang tags is placement. For the most part, there are three standard options:
- In the label on the collar
- In the fabric of the collar
- Under the right or left shirt sleeve
These are the most common options, however, if you have another idea, it’s totally possible. Just keep in mind, there will be a tiny hole wherever you put the hang tag, so best practice is probably to place it somewhere no one will really notice.
Hang Tag Design Tips
As far as hang tag design goes, you can do pretty much whatever you’d like with them, which can make designing difficult because of the sheer amount of options. However, there are some basic guidelines that might help you narrow down your vision.
Keep the Design Simple
Unless you have a really specific idea for how you want your tags to look, we recommend keeping your design pretty simple. Yes, you want it to be memorable, but you also don’t want it to clash or distract.
For the most part, brands will have their logo on one side, then have the other side full of information, either about the product or the brand. If you want to add a little extra, try playing with the background pattern of the tag.
In the hang tag above, the logo on its own is really minimal, and on a white background could be too plain. The stripes in the back help add a little bit of life to this tag.
Information to Add
Just as important as the design of the hang tag is the information you include. This is where you have a chance to say something memorable, and turn a one-time buyer into a consistent customer.
You also don’t want to over-do it by loading them up with too much information. It’s important to be intentional about what you include. The most important elements to include are your logo, website, t-shirt size, and things that are nice, but not totally necessary to include would be things like washing instructions, the fabric of the shirt.
This covers all the necessary info. If you want to get more creative or flex some marketing muscle with your tags, you include things like a special offer on your hang tag, information about where your shirts are made (if something like made in the USA is important to your customers), or more information about the story of your brand.
The tag above, from the Citizenry, does some really cool things. The 10% donated is clear and something that customers care about. Having “handcrafted in Buenos Aires” with the specific coordinates is a nice touch, too. The only tiny critique we might add is that the paragraph on the back is a bit hard to read, as it’s trying to cram a lot of text into a small space.
Maybe it’s worth it to trim a little bit of that copy off so as to not overload with information. But overall, this tag has some cool, unique marketing elements that help get important messages across for the brand.
Where to Get Custom Hang Tags
We actually don’t print custom hang tags here at Real Thread, just attach them to your t-shirts for you. If you’re looking for a great hang tag printer, we’d recommend checking out Mama’s Sauce or Moo! Both do awesome work, and you’ll undoubtedly be happy with your tags.
Once your tags are created, just have them shipped our way, and we’ll get them attached to your t-shirts ASAP, with only 1 added day of turnaround time on your t-shirts for hang tag attachment.
All in all, if you’re selling t-shirts, adding hang tags are a worth considering. Getting someone to buy a t-shirt is one thing, but getting them to invest in your brand story and become a recurring customer is another, and in the battle of standing out, hang tags will absolutely help out.
If you’d like more info, please reach out! We’d love to chat hang tags and t-shirts with you, and help tell your brand’s story in a meaningful way.
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